Modern computing often involves prompt and reliable storage of information. Data archival can an expensive practice regardless of the type of information being stored. However, this is particularly true when archiving media items with adaptive bitrate (ABR) video streaming. One consideration with data archival in an ABR video streaming environment is to ensure a client device quickly receives segments of a media item with a specific, requested bitrate. For example, a smart phone can make requests for segments of a media item with a different bitrate than that requested by a set-top box. In some situations, a media item is not stored at a requested bitrate, and segments of the media item must be synthesized with the requested bitrate to fulfill a client request. Another consideration with data archival in an ABR video streaming environment is that storage of a media item encoded with multiple bitrates may result in a large waste of storage space, particularly if segments encoded at several of the bitrates are rarely requested.
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